Comprehensive blood test with 19 biomarkers

HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin) reflects your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It is the gold standard for long-term blood sugar monitoring and diabetes management.

TSH is thyroid-stimulating hormone. The pituitary gland makes it, and uses it to drive your thyroid. At the laboratory that runs the test the usual adult range runs from 0.27 to 4.20 mE/L. A high TSH usually fits an underactive thyroid. A low value usually fits an overactive one. That direction feels inverted, and it is. TSH is the pituitary signal, not the thyroid hormone itself. Laboratories use slightly different limits from one another. Always read the reference value printed on your own result. And a single measurement is never a diagnosis.

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body, used for energy storage. Elevated levels may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially when combined with other lipid abnormalities.

BUN (blood urea nitrogen) measures the amount of urea nitrogen in your blood, a waste product formed when the body breaks down protein. It is primarily used to evaluate kidney function and can be influenced by diet, hydration status, and liver health.

Creatinine is a waste product generated by normal muscle metabolism that is filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. It is widely regarded as the gold standard marker for evaluating kidney function, as consistent production makes it a reliable indicator of filtration efficiency.

eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is a calculated measure of how effectively your kidneys filter waste from the blood. It is the gold standard for diagnosing and staging chronic kidney disease and is derived from blood creatinine or cystatin C levels along with demographic factors.

Free T4 (thyroxine) is the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland. It may serve as a precursor that your body converts into the more active T3. Healthcare providers often consider Free T4 a primary indicator of thyroid gland output.

LDL cholesterol is the amount of cholesterol carried inside LDL particles, the particles that can build up in the artery wall. That is where its nickname comes from: the bad cholesterol. Two things rarely appear on a report. First, in a routine lipid panel LDL is usually not measured but calculated from your total cholesterol, your HDL and your triglycerides. Second, the 3.0 mmol/l upper limit is a population reference interval, not a target. What counts as a good LDL for you is decided by your overall cardiovascular risk, not by the line printed on the page.

A liver function test is a comprehensive blood panel that combines multiple markers to assess overall liver health and function. It typically includes enzymes such as ALT, AST, and GGT, along with bilirubin, albumin, and other indicators to provide a complete picture of how well the liver is performing.

SHBG stands for sex hormone binding globulin. It is a protein made by the liver. SHBG binds testosterone tightly and oestradiol somewhat more loosely. Hormone bound to SHBG cannot act in the tissues. SHBG therefore determines how much of your total testosterone is genuinely available. SHBG is not itself a sex hormone but a transport protein. Results are reported in nmol/l. Normal values differ by sex and by age, and in men SHBG rises as they get older. An SHBG should therefore be assessed alongside total testosterone, never on its own.

Vitamin B12 is considered essential for red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis. Deficiency may develop gradually and is sometimes associated with dietary patterns. Healthcare providers can help interpret your results.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a key role in calcium absorption, bone health, and immune function. It is primarily produced in the skin through sunlight exposure and can also be obtained from certain foods and supplements.

Total testosterone measures the combined amount of bound and free testosterone in the blood. As the primary androgen, testosterone may influence muscle mass, bone density, libido, mood, and energy levels in both men and women.

Free T3 (triiodothronine) is considered the most active thyroid hormone. It may play a key role in regulating metabolism, energy production, and body temperature. Healthcare providers often assess Free T3 alongside other thyroid markers for a comprehensive picture.

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron, so your ferritin level shows how large your iron reserve is. Serum iron only measures how much iron is circulating in your blood at that moment; ferritin describes the reserve behind it. That reserve empties before your haemoglobin falls, so a low ferritin can already cause symptoms while your blood count still looks normal. Ferritin also rises with inflammation, infection and liver strain, which is why it can only be read properly alongside a CRP. Commonly used reference values are 30 to 400 µg/l for men and 15 to 150 µg/l for women, but your own laboratory report is what counts.

HDL cholesterol is the amount of cholesterol carried inside the HDL particles in your blood. Those particles pick cholesterol up from your tissues and from the artery wall and take it back to the liver. That transport is what earned HDL the nickname good cholesterol. The nickname is misleading. HDL is above all a mirror of your metabolism: the value drops with excess weight, insulin resistance, smoking and inactivity, and it is those factors that carry the risk. Drugs that raise HDL substantially do not reduce the number of cardiovascular events. And more is not always better: at very high values, mortality in large population studies turns back upwards. So never read your HDL on its own. It only takes on meaning alongside your triglycerides, your LDL and your overall risk profile.

Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood, produced by the liver. It maintains fluid balance, transports hormones and nutrients, and serves as an indicator of liver and kidney function.

Total cholesterol measures the combined amount of HDL, LDL, and VLDL cholesterol in your blood. It provides an overview of your lipid status but should be interpreted alongside individual components for a complete cardiovascular risk picture.

A basic blood count measures three core values in your blood: hemoglobin, white blood cells and platelets. Together they say something about oxygen transport, immune defence and clotting. It is a simple baseline check, without the red-cell indices and white-cell differential of a complete blood count.